


Matchmaker

by Packetdancer



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Not Beta Read, living dangerously with first drafts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-12-30 06:37:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Packetdancer/pseuds/Packetdancer
Summary: Chloé Bourgeois is a good person.Admittedly she pushes her classmates away with sharp remarks, never letting anyone through her armor, but atheartshe's a good person; that's why Paris' heroes trust her with the Bee Miraculous when an ally is needed. So when she discovers Ladybug's true identity, she knows just what to do. It's a perfect plan, and they'll all thank her in the end. She's absolutely certain of it.Yes, Chloé Bourgeois is a good person.Isn't she?





	1. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas, this chapter has very little action; almost the entire thing is made up of either Chloé or Chat's internal thoughts, and completely un-beta'd. Neither of which is perhaps ideal, but I'm depressingly busy with work and had one weekend evening to write a chapter in one go. And this story—or at least the initial setup—was banging around inside my skull demanding to be written.

Chloé Bourgeois was a good person.

At least, she was fairly certain that she still was, somewhere on the inside. She had to be, right? Otherwise, Ladybug and Chat Noir would never have willingly trusted her with the Bee Miraculous when they needed her help, after all.

But she had to admit, the high-and-mighty disdainful act was becoming second-nature to her. Almost reflexive. After all, no one could be allowed to get too close. No one allowed to slip inside her armor. Not even Sabrina.

It made it easier, after all; everyone was so ready to hate wealthy, famous people. They were always waiting for celebrities to make a mis-step, to pounce on them and tear them apart in the public eye. She'd seen it happen with movie stars, singers, models and fashion designers—even her own mother, at times. But if you acted like a horrible, shallow person all the time, no one tore you down over honest mistakes, because they'd come to expect it from you.

Still, she thought to herself, life would be so much easier if she had someone to really talk to. To let her guard down with.

The daughter of the mayor paced her expansive suite, now and then pausing to glance out the window at the deep orange of the sunset, the lights of Paris twinkling on here and there in the city. Her expression softened for a moment, the corners of her lips tugged gently upwards into a soft smile by the sight. The view from the balcony outside her suite atop the hotel was her favorite thing about her room. The city was heartbreakingly beautiful at this time of day.

Not that she'd have ever admitted such a sappy, vulnerable thing to her classmates.

She turned from the window, moving to one of her larger framed posters: an autographed image of Jagged Stone. Ignoring the poster itself, she lifted it off the wall and set it aside, revealing a tiny inlaid shelving nook where she had hidden her few true treasures. The first crystal bottle of perfume she'd ever received from her mother, long since empty. A pocketwatch left from her grandfather, one too precious to ever take out of her room and carry with her. A golden star she'd received from her kindergarten teacher, from before she started pushing others away. The ribbon from a cake-box, quietly taken when Dupain-Cheng brought a cake in to class for Chloé's birthday; the bakery girl did that for everyone in their class, but for a moment Chloé had been able to pretend someone actually cared about _her_.

Her fingers came to rest on the most precious of all: a faded birthday card, given to her by Adrien Agreste when she had turned six. She didn't bother to open it, because she had the inside permanently fixed in her memory: the lopsided smiley-face drawn in green ink, one eye both bigger and lower than the other, and the awkward way that little Adrien had scrawled his name beneath his artwork.

Adrien. Chloé fiercely missed how close they'd once been. He'd been so easy to remain close to, even once her mother had decided a career was more important than a family and Chloé had began to push everyone away. After all, Adrien's father had kept him so cooped up, she'd always been certainly that the boy would never cross paths with the rest of her life. He'd never betray her weaknesses, her fears, her mistakes, or anything else; he couldn't have, even if he wanted to. And in turn, she'd been his one confidante, his only friend. She'd felt like it was the two of them against the world.

And as his friend, she was thrilled for him when he got to come to school three years ago. To see him have a chance to slip out of the gilded, luxurious prison that Gabriel Agreste kept him locked inside.

She was thrilled for herself, too, for the chance to have someone she knew and trusted at her side. She'd quickly staked a claim to him in front of the rest of the class, proclaiming him _hers_. Taking the childhood nickname she'd had for him—"Adrikins"—and firmly planting the label on him for all to see. She meant to show everyone else how close they were, and that no one could come between the two of them.

Not that she actually had romantic designs on Adrien like she was content to let her classmates believe; he was more like a beloved brother to her and, truth be told, she wasn't even certain she actually liked boys romantically at all. But he was _her_ Adrien—the friend she kept at her side. No, more than that: he'd been her partner, like Chat Noir was to Ladybug.

But everything had gone wrong so quickly. All the reasons Adrien was so important to her—his kindness, his gentleness, his generosity—quickly earned him more friends among their classmates. Worse still, seeing how Chloé acted towards those friends—all her techniques for chasing everyone else away—had driven a wedge between the two of them over the past few years.

If she were honest, she knew that was why she often treated Chat Noir with such disdain: it was buried jealousy. She knew that Chat Noir would never willingly leave Ladybug's side, not even if the red heroine faltered or made a mistake. Chloé could not even begin to imagine what would ever turn the loyal cat from his partner's side.

Not like she'd managed to chase Adrien away.

And now Adrien had new friends. Even if his father was still so strict, even if she could see how much Gabriel's demands were grinding the joy out of her friend, she'd seen those friends earn Adrien's real smile. Not the false smile, the practiced one that he wore in all his modeling photos, but the real smile. The true smile. The one that he only used to ever smile for her.

The ribbon caught her eye again, the one from Dupain-Cheng's cake box. It was as blue as the baker girl's eyes, and the silver sparkles scattered throughout it were as bright as her smile. A beautiful ribbon, for all that she'd made herself sneer at it at the time. Of course it would be beautiful; Marinette was all but flawless: generous, kind, outgoing. She made friends everywhere she went, and Chloé had resented her for years.

After all, no one would ever judge Marinette Dupain-Cheng if she made a mistake. No paparazzi would chase her around, waiting for a crack in her armor. No tabloids were waiting to tear down the daughter of a pair of bakers. She was free to be whoever she wanted, do anything she wanted. It had always filled Chloé with an unreasoning envy. Even Adrien had fallen for Marinette, though the boy was too blind to even see his own feelings.

With a sigh, she carefully lifted the poster of Jagger Stone back into place, concealing her paltry set of real treasures again. The sun had set, and the lights of Paris had come to life outside her window, hiding the stars above even as they painted a starfield of their own across the city, painting golden sparkles across the waters of the Seine. It looked peaceful, completely unlike Chloé's own thoughts.

She turned and collapsed backwards onto her immense bed, draping her arm over her face with a deep sigh. She wished she had the comb—the Bee Miraculous—with her, because that would mean freedom. Freedom to take to the cityscape, to run away from her own thoughts.

And even more, it would mean she'd have Pollen with her. With Adrien drifting away, Pollen was the only one she could open her heart to. But the recent akuma attacks had been easy ones, with no need for either of Paris' heroes to bring in Queen Bee. She'd seen Rena Rouge with them twice, when an akuma called for illusions, and Carapace once even if she didn't know the reason. But no Queen Bee; she hadn't seen Pollen in two months. And while she'd kept the Miraculous overnight several times, if they didn't call on her there was no reason for her to have the Miraculous in the first place.

She found her mind wandering, wondering if Ladybug and Chat Noir talked to their own kwamis the way she shared her hopes, dreams, and fears with Pollen when they were together. Did they confide in them the same way? She realized they must, because who else would they talk to about the heroic side of their lives? When she'd fought at their sides, she'd seen the way Ladybug insisted to Chat Noir that their identities had to remain secret. (Which, she thought, was almost cruel. It was blatantly obvious to everyone else the way the cat pined after the bug; if Chat Noir ever knew who his lady was outside of the mask, Chloé was certain he'd be glued to the poor girl's side nonstop.)

To turn her thoughts from such bleak lines, Chloé detoured her questions into harmless paths. What would the other kwamis look like? She'd never seen them, after all, but Pollen looked like a little bee; presumably the others were the same. Carapace must have a little turtle, Rena Rouge a fox, Chat Noir a cat, and Ladybug obviously a ladybug. But what would those kwamis look like? Pollen was adorable, after all, even if bees were not something Chloé would have previously associated with 'cute'. So how would a turtle be adorable? Or a bug like a ladybug?

Though, now that she thought about it, she'd actually seen the design for an adorable little ladybug creature once: a drawing, maybe, or a toy. Where had that been? Chloé wracked her brain for a moment, trying to remember, before it came to her: that odd little red ladybug doll she'd found once, the one that Dupain-Cheng had claimed was _hers_. The baker girl had seemed almost desperate to reclaim the doll, as though it were more important to her than anything.

Now that she remembered the circumstances, it was easy to envision the little doll. It'd been about the same size as Pollen, hadn't it? And she could remember the way it felt almost warm and comforting when it lay in her hands—the real reason Chloé had intended to keep it. The same sort of comfort she felt when she gently cradled a tired Pollen, worn out from transformation.

Chloé's eyes widened as it hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she let out a ear-splitting shriek.

#

Chat Noir relished every chance to patrol; they gave him the excuse to get out into the fresh air, to escape the cold confines—and suffocating expectations—of his home. It was one of the only times he could feel truly happy on his own. Of course patrols were always better when Ladybug was with him, when they could laugh and joke and race across the rooftops without the pressure and worry of battling another akuma. But even alone, he felt most _alive_ when transformed.

His friends—and even now, three years later, it filled him with a rush of joy to think about _friends_ , more than just one—were wonderful too, of course. Nino's easy camaraderie, the way the boy would throw his arm around Adrien's shoulders and share every ounce of his naturally cheerful energy, made him feel like he belonged. Alya's enthusiastic schemes for so many different things were a constant source of wonder, whether it was how to convince Marinette to her her work into a fashion show, or her constant fascination with the main two members of Paris' team of heroes. Marinette's quiet kindnesses, the generosity and consideration she showed everyone around him, soothed his aches and worries.

But none of them could understand what it was like to be a hero. Either the pressures of fighting akuma, which they concealed as best they could from the public, or the joy of flying over Paris almost effortlessly. Only four other people shared that with him: Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Ladybug.

And of them all, he knew that only Ladybug understood the feeling of always carrying a Miraculous. Always being just a bit on-edge, never able to entirely let your guard down. Of knowing that at any moment, an akuma could strike and you'd need to make excuses and flee with a moment's notice. Of knowing that _every_ fight was your responsibility.

After all, a fight only became a problem for one of the other three when things got bad enough that they needed to call in their allies.

The truth was, for that all he loved his lady with all his heart, that was half of why Chat yearned for them to know each other's true identities: he wanted to have someone he could talk to about this part of his life openly even outside of the uniform. Someone who wouldn't think it odd when he had to make a ridiculous excuse and bail on something, like he knew his friends always did. Someone who he wouldn't _have_ to make excuses to, because they'd be running off _together_ to face whatever was coming.

Someone other than Plagg, anyway. His kwami was many things, but only rarely a good conversational partner.

Still, Chat Noir knew those were thoughts he could dwell on later, once he got home. For now, he pushed them aside and let himself revel in the feel of the wind through his hair as he bounded along rooftops, enjoying the upwards arc every time he used his baton to vault the larger gaps. There were no signs of an akuma tonight—or even the mundane day-to-day crimes that he and Ladybug sometimes stopped on their patrols—so this night was just for him.

But just after he'd landed on the roof of the Grand Paris Hotel, anticipating the sense of free-fall as he prepared to hurl himself off the roof towards the shorter buildings below, he heard a noise that he could only describe as "a dying pterodactyl" from somewhere below him. The black-clad hero came to a screeching halt, turning towards the street below. After all, any loud and unexpected noise in Paris had a roughly 68.4% chance of being akuma-related.

(Max had run the numbers for a three-month period and shared them with the class several weeks earlier. Adrien had thought the fact that it was over 50% was either depressing in the number of akumatizations, or impressive in the reduction of Parisian noise complaints.)

"I really hope this isn't another dinosaur," Chat muttered, shuddering as he remembered the way Ladybug had leapt into the mouth of a T-Rex when Alya's father was akumatized. He was certain he'd just lost his lady, and that was an experience he never wanted to have again. But when he sprang over to the edge of the roof, looking downwards for any sign of unrest below, he saw nothing except a few puzzled pedestrians gazing upwards.

"Of _course_ it's her! Who else would it be? And why didn't I realize that before?" The voice came from just below him, and Chat leaned a little further over the edge. He could see that the doors to Chloé's room were open, and his childhood friend was seated on the edge of her bed with one hand tangled in her blonde hair. As he watched, she let her hand drop to her side and collapsed backwards on her bed to stare at the ceiling. "Augh!"

This was, in Adrien's experience, not normal behavior for Chloé. And while she was one of their allies when she wore the Bee Miraculous, she'd also been akumatized more than once. Besides, she was his friend—even if he had to admit they hadn't been as close lately.

Somersaulting himself over the edge of the roof, Chat landed in a crouch on the balcony and quickly straightened. Fixing his best charming Chat Noir smile on his face, he stood right in the balcony door and knocked twice on the glass beside him. "Hey, Queenie. What's the buzz?"

A moment later, one of Chloé's pillows hit him square in the face.

Chat blinked, the smile faltering for a moment as the pillow slid down to rest at his feet. But then he rallied, offering the blonde another of his brightest smiles. "I see you've been practicing your aim. Ladybug been giving you pointers?"

"Ugh!" Chloé flopped back onto her bed, closing her eyes and draping her arm over her face once again. "Don't talk to me about _Ladybug_ right now, alley cat."

The smile faltered again. In Chat's experience, except for the whole situation around Antibug, Chloé's opinion of Ladybug had always been just short of hero-worship. Sure, the manic edge had faded somewhat after their times fighting side-by-side in costume, but it was still there under the surface. This time, he adopted a slightly more serious tone. "Hey, is something wrong? You sound pretty upset, and I wouldn't want one of our team akumatized. And I'm certain Ladybug wouldn't either."

"Of course she wouldn't." Chloé's eyes remained closed, her tone hard to read. As best Chat could tell, it was somewhere between bitterly amused and completely resigned. "That's not how she is, whether she's in the mask or out of it." Removing her arm from over her eyes, she turned to glance at Chat Noir. Her tone edged more towards resigned as she added, "And I'm not going to become an akuma. I'm more confused than anything else. If I'm angry at anyone, I'm angry at myself."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Chat's bright smile was going full strength again, as he stepped forward and prepared to let loose with a pun. If he could get a groan from his friend, he'd be certain she was alright. But then his brain caught up with the rest of the statement, and Chat stumbled forward. His brain felt like it went through a quick reboot, and only a quick use of his baton to bounce himself upright kept him from falling flat on his face. "Did y-you just say _out of the mask_?"

Chloé didn't answer. Instead, she turned herself over so that her face was muffled against her bed, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. She remained silent, as though by ignoring Chat Noir he might vanish.

However, Chat Noir was not obliging."Do you know who my lady is _outside_ of the mask?" His insides felt entirely tumultuous, his mind racing and pulled in twenty different directions. Had his lady shared her identity with _Chloé_ of all people? Or had Chloé somehow figured it out? Did Ladybug know? Would Chloé keep it secret?

And if _Queen Bee_ had figured it out, even having spent so much less time with Ladybug than Chat had, _what possible clue had he overlooked_?

"Glrph mmwrph." Chloé's answer was inaudible, muffled as she spoke directly into the comforter of her bed. She waved a hand towards the balcony, as though suggesting Chat should leave.

Chat ignored it. "I'm sorry, but I speak French, not Incoherent Mumble." He had a quick internal argument with himself, then made his way over to the edge of Chloé's bed to sit down on the edge beside her. He forced his tone to be quieter, more serious, even as much as he yearned to take her by the shoulders and shake her until his lady's name fell out. "This is serious, though. If you know Ladybug's identity, that could be very bad if you're ever akumatized again."

"Rrrrrgh." Chloé pushed herself upright, then promptly flopped onto her back again, staring at the ceiling once more. "I _know_ , you mangy stray. It's not like I wanted to know!"

Chat started to reply, but found he simply couldn't. Not want to know Ladybug's identity? He couldn't even imagine that. Who _didn't_ want to know who she was?

Chloé finally twisted to look at Chat Noir. When she saw him sitting there with his mouth agape, completely at a loss for words, she snorted and closed her eyes again.

"How?" It was the only word Chat could manage.

"I was just thinking about Pollen. My kwami." Chloé sighed. "And I realized that I had actually seen another kwami before. It was trying to stay very still, and I didn't know what a kwami was—I hadn't ever been Queen Bee yet—so I thought it was a little doll. A little red one with black spots, and antennas like a bug."

Chat's mind was racing. Since Plagg was a black kwami like a cat, a red bug kwami with black spots could only belong to Ladybug. And if Chloé had seen Ladybug's kwami, then she was right: she must know who Ladybug was. But he could find something to say, something to make this right. Something to get rid of the danger to his lady _and_ find out who she was. He steeled himself and opened his mouth.

"Uh."

The fact that Chloé was now staring intently at him, very thoughtfully, made Chat close his mouth once again. He hadn't seen a look _that_ intense from his friend for years, but in his experience it always meant she had An Idea. An idea in the same sense Alya often had. The sort of idea that might get someone into a lot more trouble.

And he had the sinking feeling that someone was him.

"You want to know, don't you." A smile crossed Chloé's face. It was the sort of sharp smile he was used to seeing in class these days, and he found himself drawing back slightly. "It's just killing you that _I_ know and _you_ don't."

"That's im-paw-ssible," Chat protested, but the words sounded weak even to him. He couldn't even put his whole heart into the pun. "I can't know; it would put my lady in danger. She's insisted."

"But she's already in danger, isn't she?" Chloé's smile only turned sharper. "Because now I know. And you're the only other one who has a Miraculous all the time, like she does. The only other person who could protect her if I get akumatized again is _you_."

Chat sat there in silence, trying to find a flaw in Chloé's argument. But as much as he searched, he had to admit he couldn't. He had no way to erase Chloé's memory, after all. And if she did get akumatized, her akuma form would know immediately who to target; she could take out Ladybug even before his spotted partner could even transform.

He didn't dare let himself examine his own feelings too closely; he was afraid that if he did, he might find he didn't really _want_ to find a reason to deny Chloé's point. But still, would his lady be happy if he knew? He shouldn't hear this. Should he?

But while his thoughts tangled around each other, Chloé seemed to take his silence as consent. "It's a girl in my class," she began. "Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And honestly, I don't know why I didn't see it before."

Chat raised a hand to cut her off when she began to speak. But as conflicted as he was, he moved too slowly, and the name burned itself indelibly into his memories: Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chloé was right, he didn't know why he hadn't seen it before either.

The same eyes, the blue he saw in his dreams. The same selflessness: how many times had he seen Ladybug put her own concerns aside, dropping everything to leap into battle? The same kindness: how many times had he seen Ladybug try to reassure the citizens of Paris, to calm panic and soothe fears? The same courage: even if she always seemed nervous around _him_ —something he regretted now more than ever—how many times had he seen Marinette's determination, seen her stand up firmly for something she believed in even when she knew she might face consequences? How many times had Marinette made an absolutely ridiculous excuse to leave immediately after learning of an akuma attack?

Sweet cheese, they even had the same _hairstyle_.

His lady had been in the same classes as him ever since he came to school. She'd even sat directly behind him the first year they were together, and directly across the aisle from him this year, and somehow he'd still missed it. For _three years_.

He heard a gurgling, strangled noise, and seized on it as a distraction, glancing almost eagerly around the room. It wasn't until his gaze fell on Chloé again that he realized he was the one making it.

"Do you know her?" Chloé's voice was honeyed, almost too sweet, as she met his gaze.

"We've..." Chat's voice broke, edging upwards into a squeak. He took a deep breath and tried again. This time, his voice only shook slightly as he spoke. "We've met a few times, yes. She helped me with an akuma once; the akuma wanted to go on a date with her, and I was hidden there to try to get his akumatized object. I had to do it alone because..." He trailed off slowly as realization sank in. "...Ladybug said she was on a secret mission that night, and that I'd have to watch over the girl."

He wanted to scream. He wanted to stand up, walk over to the wall, and beat his head against it repeatedly. How had he _missed_ that? Of _course_ Ladybug couldn't help with that mission, because she couldn't be Ladybug or the plan wouldn't work.

He remembered the battle against Glaciator, and felt his face flush as he realized just exactly what he'd done that night. He'd ditched his friends, including Marinette, in hopes that Ladybug would show up. And when she didn't, he'd spent an evening moping about his feelings for Ladybug to Marinette.

He was going to have a lot of past interactions with his friends to re-examine.

"Well, if you already know her, that should make it easier. Won't it?"

Chat dragged his attention back to the conversation. "What?"

"For you to win Ladybug over." Exasperation crept into Chloé's tone, as though this were the most obvious answer in the world.

"She..." Chat had to take a deep breath again. "She already likes someone else. She's told me."

"Pfft." Chloé waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, waving away the objection. "Whoever it is, can he understand her the way you can? Can he protect her the way you can? You two are meant for each other, and everyone can see it. _Especially_ when we've fought at your side. You know that Foxy and her green boyfriend agree."

"Boyfriend?"

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Did you see the way they fought together on Heroes' Day? If those two aren't dating already, they should be. Just like you and Ladybug should be."

"I..." Chat's head felt like it was going to explode. There was too much new information in there, and his thoughts were stuffed to bursting. He abruptly bounced back to his feet, backing towards the balcony door once again. He could feel his lips frozen in an almost manic grin. "Wow, look at the time! Didn't realize it was this late! Better get home, you know, wouldn't want anyone to worry or anything..." He laughed nervously. "See you later, Queenie!"

And then, before Chloé could say anything else, Chat Noir whirled and dove off her balcony to escape.

#

Chloé watched Chat Noir depart, still smiling. This plan was perfect! After all, Chat Noir really _was_ meant for Ladybug. Everyone knew it. Even _she_ knew it, for all she liked to claim that Ladybug could do so much better. And once the alley cat won his lady over, they'd both thank her.

And if that meant Marinette's affections turned from Adrien, if she started paying more attention to her leather-clad partner instead, no one could blame Chloé for that. Of course, Adrien might feel a little bit betrayed and lonely once he lost the baker girl's attention, but it was for the best. He was such an innocent, and staying too close to Marinette would only put him in danger if she was Ladybug.

Besides, if Adrien was upset over it all, well, his old friend Chloé would be there for him. He could pour out his concerns to her just like he used to, and she could do the same. It would be best for everyone, in the end.

She lay back on her bed, satisfaction spreading through her. Maybe she didn't have her Miraculous right now, but she could still solve everyone's problems even without Pollen and her powers. She could still be a hero. Because of her, Chat Noir would have his Ladybug, Adrien would be safe from the superhero life, and she'd have her friend back.

The little bit of worry at the back of her mind, the tiny voice asking if she'd really done this for the right reasons? That could be ignored. After all, they'd all thank her in the end.

Yes, Chloé Bourgeois was a good person.

Wasn't she?


	2. Recrimination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien had to admit, his confession to Marinette could definitely have gone better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who commented on the previous chapter! I admit I hadn't intended to do chapter two of Matchmaker quite so quickly; I figured I'd write maybe one scene a night for the next few nights. However, I received some news this evening that I was hoping not to, and in the wake of that I felt the pressing need to write _something_. Anything, really. And this fanfic felt much easier to tackle than any of my actual writing. So, as a silver lining, you get a chapter two sooner than I had planned.

Chat Noir leapt blindly from the rooftop, trusting in instinct and reflex to carry him through. The base of the baton hit the street below, and the faint vibration that traveled up its length could be felt even through the leather-like material of his gloves. The feel of the roof beneath the soles of his boots. The quiver as the baton shrank down once again.

He didn't have to think about it. He didn't have to think at all; he could just _be_.

The row of connected houses was suddenly broken, one roof slightly higher than the others before it. Chat felt his hands brace on the edge of the roof as he leapt and pulled himself up, the motion carrying him to the higher elevation as smoothly as the best parkour free-runners.

He lost himself in the rhythm of his movements, the way his path flowed along without stopping. Maybe if he could focus on that feeling, he'd be able to drown out the names echoing in his thoughts.

 _Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug._ As he leapt from roof to roof, they began to blur together. _Maribug. Ladynette._

Sleep would not come easily tonight, he was certain of that. But far too soon he spotted the familiar windows of his bedroom, and resigned himself to trying. Extending his baton once more, the hero let his momentum carry him in a perfect arc, straight through the open window and back home. He landed in a roll just inside, letting the last of his momentum carry him just far enough that he reached the arm of his couch.

And then the superhero stood, and immediately collapsed face-forward onto the pillows, making a quiet noise of abject frustration directly into the soft cloth.

Adrien didn't even bother to raise his voice—or his head—before muttering "claws off". It was enough; Plagg understood his intent. The familiar feeling of detransformation ran over his body, the green light of his kwami's magic briefly visible even through his closed eyelids.

Silence.

Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. An eternity and a half. He could feel Plagg's vivid green gaze on the back of his neck. He ignored it.

"Uh, kid?" The kwami's tone was quieter than Adrien was used to, with an edge of concern he hadn't heard very often. "You okay?"

"I live here now, Plagg." Adrien lifted his head from the couch only enough that the words were audible. "On this couch. I'm not moving; please forward my mail."

Plagg floated down until he hovered right beside his bearer's head, so close he could reach out and touch the boy's hair. "I thought you'd be happy! You always wanted to know who she was!"

"But _she_ didn't want me to know. She'll be furious if she finds out. And she's so brilliant..." Adrien sighed. "The way she always figures out a way to use her Lucky Charm is incredible! How am I going to keep a secret from her when we're in the same classes all day? Especially a secret that I don't _want_ to keep." The model let his head fall back to the surface of the couch, face buried in the fabric once more. "Ugh."

The kwami bit down on the impulse to blurt out the first thing to come to his mind, suppressing a quick 'huff' of exasperation; he knew his usual sarcasm and snark wasn't what his kitten needed right now. "Tikki's so much better at this," he muttered, before raising his voice once more. "Look. What's happened has already happened; you can't change the past. Not with this miraculous, anyway."

Another muffled groan from the boy on the couch.

"Kid, it isn't a bad thing." Plagg reached out to gently pat Adrien's cheek, somewhat awkwardly. This was what you did to comfort humans, right? He thought it was what they liked, anyway. And it seemed to be working. "This pretty much always happens; the ladybug and the black cat are tied together. So maybe this time it happened a _little_ faster than Tikki and her bug might have wanted—" _Or a lot faster_ , the kwami thought to himself, knowing Tikki's protective nature when it came to her chosen. "—but it was probably going to happen anyway. Especially after three years."

Adrien lifted his head again. "But Marinette always seems so nervous around me already, and I don't want to ruin our friendship." He turned to look at his kwami, his tone a mixture of anxiety and hope. "You really don't think she'll be mad at me?"

"I think once she gets used to it, she'll be thrilled!" _And about time, too_ , Plagg thought. _If I had to keep hearing you gush about Ladybug while completely ignoring Pigtails, I was going to move into the cheese fridge. The_ ** _soundproof_** _cheese fridge._ "Besides, you _have_ to tell her, whether it's a good idea or not!"

A moment's silence as Adrien gathered his tangled thoughts as best he could. "Because I'm not the only one that knows," he realized. "Chloé knows too, so we'll really have to keep her from being akumatized. Ladybug will need to be on her guard."

"Exactly!" Plagg floated up and away from his chosen once again, spinning once in the air. "So she'll be grateful for the warning, right?"

Adrien sat up, his expression brightening as some of the doubt and anxiety melted away. "Maybe you're right, Plagg. Maybe I am worrying too much about this. I'll talk to Marinette at school tomorrow!" The model rose from the couch the rest of the way, turning towards his bed, certain he'd dream of nothing but deep blue eyes tonight. "Right now, I should probably try to get some sleep."

"Not yet, you don't!" Plagg's voice was frantic enough that it drew Adrien's gaze back to meet a luminous green glare. Only once Plagg was certain Adrien had met his gaze did the kwami make his demand, his words filled with uncharacteristic force.

"Give. Me. Cheese. _First._ "

After all, trying to be the comforting one was the sort of work that built up an appetite.

#

Chloé was in a good mood, eager to see the results of the favor she'd done Chat Noir. Oh, she didn't think it would happen right away; these things could take time, especially since she thought the cat might be too anxious to tell Ladybug just yet. Still, if he'd been brave enough, he might have run off to the bakery to speak to Dupain-Cheng last night, so there was still a _chance_ to see results already.

Besides, she could wait; soon enough she'd have her friend back. She was eager to sit down with Adrien and talk again. _Really_ talk, for what felt like the first time in years.

"Chloé!" Sabrina came tearing down the steps of the school, waving frantically at her. Chloé couldn't help but be pleased; the girl was clearly so eager to be at her side she was descending the steps at an almost reckless rate. And while Sabrina wasn't actually her close friend, not the way Adrien had been, Chloé had to admit it was quite nice to feel like you were the center of someone's life.

"Oh, Sabrina." Chloé could feel her habitual sharp smile settling into place once again, the pieces of her armor locking around her. Raising her hand in front of her face to casually examine her nails, she added almost lazily, "You know, Jagged Stone is playing an _exclusive_ show this weekend; he'll be playing songs that haven't even been _released_ yet. Of course, my daddy got me tickets."

She paused for effect, glancing over at Sabrina as she awaited the adoration and excitement. Instead, she saw only confusion, which was far from what she expected. "Sabrina?"

" _Marinette_ is in an argument." Sabrina finally managed to exhale, resting her hands on her knees and bending over as she tried to catch her breath.

That certainly caught Chloé by surprise. Yes, Dupain-Cheng stood up to people when she thought they were in the wrong, but she only rarely got into actual arguments with her classmates. She'd only seen a handful of exceptions over the years, most of them involving...

"Ugh." Chloé lowered her hand back to her side, letting the smile turn into a well-practiced sneer of pure disdain. "Are the bakery loser and that obnoxious Rossi girl fighting again?"

"No!" Sabrina finally straightened, shaking her head vehemently. "She's fighting with _Adrien_!"

Chloé was certain she must have heard that wrong; she didn't even have to feign shock, as the very idea of Dupain-Cheng arguing with Adrien seemed impossible. Honestly, the idea of Dupain-Cheng even being able to string together words coherently enough to _have_ an argument with Adrien in the first place seemed fairly unlikely to her. Could it be that the cat _had_ gone to talk to her last night? Could her plan to drive those two apart be working _this_ quickly?

Chloé summoned her best tone of outrage. "That dirty little baker is upsetting my Adrikins? Absolutely not!" She turned to flee up the steps into the school, carefully schooling her expression into one of fury rather than excitement.

She was on the next to last step when Marinette Dupain-Cheng came tearing out of the school, her cheeks flushed red and tears streaming from her eyes. The girl was moving so fast that Chloé never even had a chance to start to make a cutting remark before Marinette was already down to the sidewalk. Chloé actually found herself somewhat impressed that Marinette had managed to move at that speed without tripping even once.

(Then again, she thought to herself, that _was_ Ladybug who had just run past; maybe not all of Dupain-Cheng's clumsiness was real?)

"Marinette, wait!" Adrien emerged from the school right on Marinette's heels, his hand outstretched as though he could catch hold of her jacket even with the entire set of stairs between them. "Please..."

But Marinette was gone, and Adrien slowly let his hand fall back to his side. The look of abject misery on his face squeezed at Chloé's heart; she hated to see him in such obvious pain. But it was for the best, she told herself; this would keep him safe, in the long run.

She did her best to ignore that little voice at the back of her mind, still insistently asking if she had really done the right thing, for the right reasons.

"Adrikins!" Chloé all but flung herself at Adrien, wrapping her arms around the boy's shoulder. "Did that horrible girl hurt you? This is why people like _us_ should never mix with people like _her_."

Adrien didn't turn to look at Chloé. Instead, he stood there staring off in the direction Dupain-Cheng had run.

This wasn't working out quite like Chloé had intended, but she tried to rally. In a sweeter voice, she leaned in to coo, "Still, it was awfully nice of you to tolerate her for so long."

"Not now, Chloé. Just... not now." Adrien reached up one hand, pushing Chloé's arms away as gently as he could, before turning to walk back into the school. His shoulders were slumped and his voice sounded absolutely forsaken.

Even when he was upset, Adrien always managed a smile; after losing his mother, Chloé had seen Adrien learn to build the same sort of armor she wore against the world. But where she used cutting remarks and sharp smiles to keep people from getting beneath her armor, Adrien had always concealed his pain behind his soft smile and a friendly demeanor.

In all their years of friendship, she'd never seen him this upset. And now she found herself wondering just how close Dupain-Cheng actually _was_ to her boy. She certainly hadn't meant to hurt him this badly.

Still, this was all part of the plan. And no matter how much he was hurting right now, he'd get over it soon enough.

Wouldn't he?

#

Things could have gone much better, Adrien had to admit. Whatever result he'd expected from his talk with Marinette, that certainly hadn't been it. He'd actually made his lady _cry_ —no, he'd made her openly _weep_ —and he couldn't remember ever having seen that before. Not as Marinette, and certainly never as Ladybug. She'd always seemed so unshakeable, as though absolutely nothing could break her.

But somehow, he'd managed it.

_Good going, Agreste. Marinette probably hates you now, and worse, that means Ladybug does. How are we ever going to work together again? Plus, you made her miserable enough she might end up akumatized, and that would be a disaster. I might as well just go hand Hawkmoth my Miraculous._

Even the classwork seemed to be taunting him; the teacher asked them to focus on themes in Shakespeare's various plays, and he'd been handed a copy of Romeo and Juliet. A love story turned tragedy? That certainly fit his day.

Marinette hadn't come back to school, of course; according to the story Alya gave the teachers, she wasn't feeling well and went home before class. Adrien could tell that Alya wanted to ditch school as well, to go check on her best friend, but she stayed. Maybe she didn't dare skip class. She was hoping to get into a journalism program, after all; keeping her grades for writing and literature courses like this one were probably important.

Honestly, he'd expected Alya to be furious with him for hurting Marinette. On some level, he almost _wanted_ her to be furious with him, for someone else to blame him as much as he blamed himself. Instead, Alya and Nino had both been just watching him closely throughout any classes they shared.

When Adrien had quietly asked Nino, his best (civilian) friend had just shrugged. "Alya's texting her, and she's going to head over right after school. And whatever happened, we both know you didn't mean to hurt Marinette. Besides..." And then Nino had thrown an arm companionably around Adrien's shoulders, offering a brief half-hug. "You're hurting too, dude. But whatever happened, we can work it all out!"

Adrien had smiled back, wishing that he could share his friend's confidence about that. "Thanks, Nino."

Now he just found himself staring out the classroom window, wondering what he should have done differently. If there was any way to fix it all, to fix his friendship with Marinette, his partnership with Ladybug.

Maybe even to fix his heart.

But if he hadn't been staring out the window, he might have missed the butterfly until it was too late. Instead, his eyes widened as the akuma wiggled its way through the gap in the window. The akuma he was certain was coming for _him_.

_Calm. Stay calm. You're Chat Noir, and you won't be akumatized._

"Akuma!" Adrien recognized Rose's voice, from somewhere behind him. He glanced up—along with the rest of the class—to see Rose pointing at the butterfly with a trembling hand. He watched as everyone else's attention turned to where Rose was pointing. For just a second, the classroom was utterly silent.

And then pandemonium erupted.

Over the past three years, nearly every student in Paris had been through dozens of akuma drills. Every school had an evacuation plan for akuma attacks, and a designated gathering point. When the sirens went off, everyone could proceed in an orderly manner. It was a precise, well-oiled machine.

But no drill he had been put through had ever accounted for this situation, where the butterfly was right there in the room. Where the akuma attack hadn't yet started, because it was still seeking a target. When every student present was wondering if they'd be the victim.

The evacuation plans were forgotten entirely as students sprang up from their desks, grabbing whatever they could before racing towards the door.

"Stay calm, stay calm! Remember our drills!" The teacher tried to raise his voice above the chaos, but it was futile. Students were trying to push past each other in the aisle. Some were climbing over desks in their rush to escape.

And the butterfly fluttered closer to Adrien, still seated at his desk.

 _Calm._ Adrien repeated the mantra. _Stay calm. What happened wasn't her fault. I don't blame her, and I won't fight her. Whatever happens next, none of it was her fault._

A tiny bit of the tension eased out of his shoulders.

The butterfly stopped, fluttering in one place as though it were suddenly uncertain where to go. Never letting the butterfly out of his sight, Adrien reached down slowly to grasp the strap of his school bag. When the butterfly still didn't move, he straightened and took a step backwards. Then another, each edging him closer to the door.

The butterfly suddenly fluttered back to the classroom window, squeezing through the gap once more. Adrien exhaled, not having even realized he was holding his breath. Not that he'd have time to relax; the akuma would almost certainly look for another victim to target, someone else hurting or angry. Chat Noir and Ladybug would be needed.

Ladybug. Someone hurting or angry.

_Oh no._

He wanted to transform, to leap out the window immediately. But he forced himself to stop, to glance around the room and make sure he was alone; the last thing he needed was to make the situation worse by revealing his own identity to some of his classmates. To his relief, he found all the others had fled by now, headed towards the akuma attack rally point.

He was already running for the window by the time he called for his kwami.

"Plagg! Claws out!"

#

"Someone knows your secret, my lady."

Six words. That was all he had needed to turn Marinette's world completely upside down and inside out. Just six words.

She'd been so happy when Adrien— _Adrien_ —had approached her, wanting to talk. She remembered his hopeful smile. She remembered the intensity and warmth in his green eyes. She could still feel the blush coloring her cheeks. It had seemed like a dream come true.

And then he'd turned it all into a nightmare.

"I have something important to tell you, Marinette."

Something important. Maybe Adrien had finally noticed her?

"We're going to have to work together on this."

A project together! A chance to spend time together! Did he want to model her designs? It hadn't mattered to her at the time.

He'd leaned in close, her cheeks burning at how close his lips were to her ear. It was a moment of utter bliss that she could have savored forever.

And then he spoke those six words: "Someone knows your secret, my lady."

Marinette remembered feeling the blood drain from her face, the blush fading instantly. She felt like her mind should have been spinning, her thoughts a confused tangle. Instead, she found herself completely clear and focused, the way she was in battle. Maybe it was a conditioned response to the adrenaline after three years behind Ladybug's mask, maybe it was just the shock to her system. But two things had instantly become clear to her.

First, that her worst nightmare might have come true and her identity been compromised. Her parents, her friends, could be in danger if Hawkmoth found out.

And second, that Adrien Agreste was apparently Chat Noir.

She'd been cut adrift, left unmoored from everything. And he'd just stood there, looking at her with so much love and hope in his eyes. It seemed like he didn't even realize he'd just torn apart half of her life, that she needed space to breathe. To think about this.

"But I found you, my lady. And there's nothing we can't tackle together." And then, seemingly without thinking, he'd leaned into kissing distance and given her Chat's charming grin.

That was the point where her thoughts suddenly collapsed into a whirl of emotion and she started shouting. She didn't even remember all of _what_ she'd said to him; she just remembered all her emotions boiling over until they started spilling out of her mouth.

And then she'd just turned and run off, unable to face him. Unable to face _anyone_.

Marinette groaned at the memory. She hadn't _meant_ to lose it. But everything was suddenly coming apart around her, and he'd been the one to topple everything. And then he was right there, right in her face, and somehow that grin she loved to see was just too much. If he'd just given her space to process everything for even _five minutes_...

At least now she'd had most of an hour to think it over. Although if she were being honest, the first forty-five minutes had mostly been devoted to an emotional breakdown. But now Marinette felt like a washcloth that had been wrung out. All the tears and anger had been squeezed out of her, and she was only left to worry about the aftermath.

"Tikki, what am I going to do? Adrien probably hates me now. _Chat_ probably hates me now!"

"You can always still get a hamster even without him, Marinette!"

Marinette sat up, her reddened eyes narrowing as she cast a glare in her kwami's direction. "Tikki, this is _so_ far beyond three kids and a hamster."

The kwami's smile faded as she flew over to nuzzle against her chosen's cheek. "I know you're worried, Marinette. But you know that Adrien could never hate you. You just need to talk to him, once everyone's calmed down."

"His timing was just _awful_. I needed a few minutes." Marinette flopped backwards on her bed once again, staring up at her skylight. "It was all just so... so _Chat_. I mean, I like it when he goofs off when we're just sitting somewhere and talking. When we can relax. But then sometimes he goes and does it _right during a battle_. His sense of timing is unbelievable!"

Tikki settled in on the pillow beside her chosen, the kwami tucking her head against Marinette's cheek to lend comfort. They sat there in silence for a moment.

"I'm still mad at him, you know."

"I know." She could feel Tikki shift slightly against her cheek when the kwami spoke. "But try not to get too upset, Marinette. Your Miraculous can purify an akuma, and that makes you very hard to akumatize. But that doesn't mean it's impossible!"

"I'm not furious. I'm too exhausted to be furious. I'm just... mad. Maybe disappointed in the way he handled it." Through her skylight, she could see the wispy clouds drifting through a perfect blue sky. "And I'm worried. He didn't even tell me _who_ else knew my secret. What if they tell Alya? Or worse, what if they tell someone _else_? Alya at least would talk to me before posting it. Probably."

"We'll think of something." Tikki couldn't hide entirely the note of worry that crept into her own words, however. "For now, just rest."

Marinette tried to relax; Tikki was right, this was fixable. No, she wasn't ready to talk to her partner just yet, but that would pass. By the time they had patrol that evening, she was sure she'd be fine. Or at least fine enough to talk things over. It wasn't like they had to rush anything, after all.

Then the screaming started. There was a loud metallic crunch somewhere outside, followed by the shriek of a car alarm.

Marinette closed her eyes. Of course there'd be an akuma attack right now. Why did she expect anything else? "Please," she muttered. "Don't let Chat have been akumatized just because I yelled at him."

With a sigh, she sat up and called for her transformation. The comforting glow of Tikki's magic surrounded her, the feeling of electricity fizzing under her skin grew and spread across her body before settling into her familiar red and black suit. "I'd better deal with that."

She pushed open the skylight and made a quick leap to her balcony in a single well-practiced motion, something she'd done a hundred times before. Only this time, the top of her head struck something unexpectedly and she found herself tumbling back down onto her bed below.

She sat there for a moment, and then stood up to push the skylight open once again. This time, however, she went slowly and only poked her head out instead of leaping up. The sight that greeted her was one to give her pause.

"Ow." Chat Noir was sitting there, sprawled on his ass, and rubbing his chin. He'd clearly been bending over, about to open the skylight himself, before Ladybug had crashed into him and sent him staggering backwards.

For a moment, the two of them were silent, blue eyes meeting green. She wanted to say something, but all the words tangled together and caught in her throat. This was her silly, cheerful, charming partner, the one she'd always believed she could talk to more easily than anyone else in the world. But it was also Adrien Agreste, the crush who flustered her enough that she could barely string two words together in a proper manner.

And she was still angry at both of them.

In the end, it was Chat Noir who finally broke the silence. Raising a hand, he gave her a little wave and a hesitant smile. "Uhm. Please don't take this the wrong way, my lady, but I think we've got a date."

Two blocks away, a car exploded. The screams grew louder.

Ladybug closed her eyes, silently hoping that Tikki could grant her patience to get through this battle.


	3. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat despairs, Chloé schemes, and Ladybug is emotionally exhausted by the entire situation.
> 
> Oh, and there's a giant toddler rampaging through the streets as well. But that part's just par for the course in Paris these days.

"NO NAP! TANTRUM PLAYS NOW!"

In Chat Noir's opinion, this particular villain looked like a half-baked budget knockoff of the Incredible Hulk: an immense muscled creature with bright orange skin, purple eyes, yellow hair, and puce shorts. Unlike the official comic-book character, however, Tantrum had a single comically large tooth protruding from his lower jaw to the point that it was visible atop his upper lip even when his mouth was closed. He also wore a purple-and-puce t-shirt in a checkered pattern. One foot was clad in a comically large blue sneaker, while the other was left bare.

Taken as a whole, the combination was downright eye-searing.

"I think I'm having a seizure just looking at him. I think people in _planes passing overhead_ are having seizures if they look down." Chat crouched beside Ladybug on the edge of a roof, watching the akuma push an empty car along the street like a toy. "That design should be added to Hawkmoth's list of crimes. But there's a silver lining in all this, my lady!"

Ladybug shot a sideways look at him. She didn't smile. She hadn't smiled at all since she had found Chat on Marinette's balcony— _her_ balcony. And every glance she sent his way made Chat's heart sink a little more. But he still tried to plaster his usual Chat-like smile in place as he added, "Now we have one more clue about Hawkmoth's identity! Whoever he is, he's got absolutely _no_ future in fashion." He waved one hand towards the color-clashing akumatized victim below. "I think he might actually be colorblind."

"TANTRUM WANTS SNACK!"

"Focus, Chat." Despite Ladybug's admonition, Chat saw the corner of her mouth twitch up for a moment, _almost_ turning into a smile. He felt a wash of relief run through him, a soothing tonic for the ache inside him. He was pretty sure he and his lady weren't okay yet, but he could still make her smile. That was a place to start.

He felt even better when he heard her add under her breath, "Not that you're wrong."

Tantrum lifted his head, sniffing the air. "COOKIE? WANT COOKIE!" The akumatized brute started lumbering down the street in the direction Chat Noir and Ladybug had come from, using his fisted hands as much as his feet. To Chat, it looked like some kind of bizarre cartoon gorilla speeding away.

"Oh, no." Ladybug had gone slightly pale, already standing from her crouch and slipping the yo-yo free from its place on her hip. "It's time for the mid-morning batch of cookies to come out. He's heading for the bakery."

"Well, let's not let him ruin his diet!" Chat unclipped the baton from his belt, holding it in hand as the two of them began to run along the rooftops.

Even as fast as Tantrum had been moving towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery, it didn't take the duo long to catch up. Chat Noir made the first move, using his baton to vault down and block the villain's path. Tantrum came to a halt, staring down at the black-clad hero. "Tsk tsk tsk!" He waggled a finger at the akuma, leaning on his baton. "Wouldn't want to spoil your dinner, would you?"

The too-familiar butterfly mask brightened into existence in front of the akumatized victim, and Tantrum scowled. A huge fist darted out, grabbing for Chat Noir, but the hero easily sprang into two backflips, landing in a crouch well out of the reach of even giant hands.

"GIVE TANTRUM RING!"

Ladybug was perched on a streetlamp just behind Tantrum, studying the supervillain carefully. Searching for what the item could be, no doubt. Chat didn't see anything obvious yet, but he knew he could buy her time.

"What, _this_ ring?" He waved his hand at the akuma, showing off the Miraculous. "Sorry, it's a choking hazard. Ages 7 and up only."

Tantrum roared again, grasping at Chat Noir once more. This time, however, Ladybug hurled her yo-yo and tangled his legs. With an offended howl, Tantrum came crashing down onto the street. The impact set off several nearby car alarms.

"Well, buddy, I'd say you're _grounded_."

"Chat..." Ladybug landed beside him, but seemed content to leave her chastisement to just his name spoken in a warning tone. "I think the akuma has to be in his shoe; he only has one of them. There's no way we're going to get that off him, though."

"I'll take care of it!" Chat extended his baton, launching himself forward and over Tantrum, intending to land on the monster's feet and Cataclysm the shoe. With luck, the fight would be over quickly.

Tantrum, however, had other plans. With a roar, he pushed himself back to his feet, taking a step forward so forcefully that Ladybug's yo-yo wire unraveled. Chat suddenly found himself aimed straight at the monster's face.

Tantrum opened his mouth to roar again.

Chat immediately extended his baton, trying to gain height, but it wasn't fast enough; his inertia carried him straight into the villain's mouth. _Doesn't it just figure,_ he thought to himself, _that Ladybug would get eaten by an actual t-rex, while I just get to be a snack for a giant toddler? If this is how I go, I'd have liked it to be to something cooler._

Tantrum closed his mouth, forcing Chat to crouch. The tongue beneath his feet made for an unpleasant surface: squishy, wet, and moving. The villain tried to swallow, but Chat extended his baton across Tantrum's mouth, bracing it against the upper teeth and clinging for dear life. The tongue writhed beneath him as Tantrum tried to swallow again and again, growing more desperate with each attempt. Every time Chat braced himself, pressing his feet against the edges of the throat to avoid being drawn down, the villain seemed only to become more and more desperate.

"Chat!!" Even through the clenched teeth, he could hear Ladybug's anguished cry outside.

A panicked whining noise suddenly drowned out everything else, and Chat found himself thrown side to side as Tantrum tried desperately to swallow, to get rid of the feeling of choking. Even through the noise and mayhem, he thought he faintly heard the familiar cry of "LUCKY CHARM!"

"HNNNNNNN! HNNNNNNNN!" Tantrum was clearly stumbling around now, panicked by the sensation of something caught in his throat. Chat felt everything tilt; the tongue beginning to become a wall, the teeth the floor. He found himself sliding forward, and soon he was clinging to the baton, dangling with his feet just touching the villain's teeth. "MMMMM!"

The mouth opened, and Chat didn't wait to see what was next. He retracted the baton and dropped out, rolling away the moment he hit the ground. His suit, his face, his hair... everything was coated in saliva. _I am going to want a shower when this is done_ , he thought. _No, I'm going to want ten showers._

"Chat! You're alright." The relief in Ladybug's voice was tangible; as even as horrible as he felt—both for the saliva and his earlier encounter with Marinette—to hear such obvious evidence that she cared warmed his heart. He glanced around until he spotted her, scrambling back to her side and out of Tantrum's reach.

Tantrum ignored Chat. Instead, the villainous toddler pushed himself upright again, an enormous red and black spotted sippy-cup in his hands. Wrapping his lips around the spout of the cup, he began to guzzle whatever was in it.

Chat looked over at Ladybug, eyebrows raised. "My lady?"

"Later, Chaton!" She gestured towards the toddler still engrossed with his giant cup. "Get the shoe while he's distracted!"

"Right!" Chat called for his power, dashing up and tapping the shoe. As it crumbled, the akuma emerged and tried to flutter away; Tantrum immediately turned back into a tired-looking toddler with one shoe missing, and Ladybug made quick work of purifying the akuma.

Together, the two heroes managed to lift the enormous sippy-cup; it wasn't too heavy, not with their Miraculous strength, but it was certainly too large and awkward for either one to easily throw it skywards. Soon enough, though, the magical butterflies washed over the city, restoring everything. (And, to Chat's immense relief, cleansing the drool from his suit and hair.)

Moments later, the toddler's frantic mother arrived, gathering up her sleepy son and clinging to him desperately. Her thanks were so effusive that the two heroes finally had to wave her off before their transformations wore off.

Chat held out his fist habitually. "Pound it."

Ladybug didn't reciprocate; instead, she folded her arms in front of her and waited. Finally, Chat realized he wasn't getting a fist-bump this time and lowered his hand slowly back to his side. A sick feeling settled into his gut; for all that they had just worked with their usual ease to take down an akuma together, it seemed he hadn't been forgiven.

Chat searched for something—anything—to change the topic. "What was in the cup, anyway?"

"Apple juice, based on the smell?" Ladybug shrugged. "He was choking, he wanted to clear his throat. Sometimes the lucky charm isn't so complicated."

Her Miraculous chirped once again, a reminder they had to make themselves scarce. Chat quickly spoke up before his partner could swing away. "Can we... can we talk about this? Please?"

Ladybug's silence lasted long enough that Chat was afraid she might not answer at all. But then his partner sighed, offering him a reluctant nod. "Meet me at our usual spot in ten minutes. Take the time to go recharge."

She took out the yo-yo and swung off into the distance, not even waiting for Chat's reply.

#

Normally, the perch on the Eiffel Tower was one of Ladybug's favorite places. She could come here and look out over the city she protected. She could be alone here with her thoughts, and the only person who could find her was the person she trusted most in the world.

The person she thought she had trusted most in the world, anyway.

Her roiling emotions and her dread of the upcoming conversation with her partner sapped any enjoyment of the view today. Why had he done this to her? How could he have _possibly_ thought it was a good idea to throw her emotions into total disarray? Life was already complicated enough trying to stay on top of her homework, help her parents in the bakery, and maintain _some_ semblance of a normal social life while also routinely saving Paris.

Not for the first time, she wished Hawkmoth would conveniently schedule his akumas and publish his calendar publicly, It would make her life a lot easier to manage.

With a sigh, she pulled her legs in close, wrapping her arms around them and leaning forward to rest her chin on her knees. The wind this high up was stronger than down below, sending the end of one of her ribbons whipping against her cheek. "Dammit, Chat."

She felt his arrival before she heard it: an awareness that she wasn't alone, that there was someone at her back. She didn't react; there was only one other person who could reasonably get up to their perch, after all.

"My lady?"

The nickname, usually so playfully given, didn't bring her any joy today. She wasn't cheerful enough to answer with one of her nicknames for him in return. "Chat."

The awkward silence stretched on for five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. Her partner just stood there behind her as though he were afraid to approach.

Ladybug stretched her legs out again, letting them dangle off the edge of the tower. "You might as well come sit down."

In her peripheral vision she could see Chat settling himself in beside her, but she didn't turn to look at him. Not yet. If she did, she wasn't certain she'd be able to hold it together.

Silence again. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. This time, Ladybug wasn't going to be the first one to speak; if Chat had something to say, she'd wait for him to say it.

Twenty seconds. Twenty-five. At thirty, Chat finally broke. "Uhm. Look, I'm... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you or upset you. I'd _never_ want to do that! You know that, right?"

Ladybug closed her eyes. "Well, you did. Chat, that was about the _worst_ possible way you could've done any of this. You know that, right?" Even without looking, she could _feel_ her partner wince next to her when she echoed his own question back at him.

"My lady, just... tell me how to fix it? Please?" She didn't think she'd ever heard Adrien sound so small and afraid, so desperate. She'd certainly never heard it from Chat.

"You _knew_ I was serious about keeping our identities secret. I'm actually not mad that you found out, though." Ladybug could _feel_ Chat's growing hope. She opened her eyes, looking down at the people below their perch before continuing. "What I'm angry about is that you knew how _important_ it was to me. And you still walked up to me—in _school_ , with other people around!—and sprang it on me with no warning."

Chat opened his mouth as if to reply, then decided to remain silent.

"In the space of five seconds, I went from 'normal school day' to about three different shocks at once." She raised a hand, ticking them off on her fingers. "First, at least one and, if I understood you right, probably two people knew my identity. So there's one bit of panic. Second, one of those two people was the boy I'd been crushing on about as long as I've been Ladybug, and now I'd never know if he liked me for _me_ , or if he liked me for being Ladybug. Oh, and third, that boy was also my _partner_. So now I knew _your_ identity, too."

More silence, then a hesitant, "Wait. You have a crush on me?" Her partner's tone turned to one of disbelief. "Was _I_ the boy you kept turning Chat down for?"

Ladybug felt the tips of her ears heat, and knew she was blushing despite herself. "That is _so_ not the point here! You sprang all that on me, at once, in a public place! It was like you took a list of 'how could this go wrong' and decided to use that as your to-do list, checking off as many as you could. Are you surprised I panicked and needed to get away from everyone?"

"Oh. No. I guess not." Chat's tone turned a bit more dejected. "I didn't mean it that way. I was just... I was so _excited_. I'd learned that one of the nicest and most incredible girls in school was _also_ the amazing partner I'd fallen in love with. And I was so happy and I wanted you to know and I also wanted to warn you, and..." He sighed. "It all just came tumbling out at once."

Silence yet again. Five seconds. Ten...

"You probably hate me now, don't you. I ruined it all."

"No." Ladybug finally turned to face Chat, but his eyes were downcast, his gaze fixed on his hands where they lay in his lap. He seemed to be folding in on himself. "Chat, no. I could never hate you."

Her partner jolted upright in surprise, turning to stare at her. "But... you're angry."

"Augh. There is something _seriously_ wrong with your home life." Ladybug placed her hands over her eyes, dragging them down her face as she tried to regain her composure and patience. "Look, just because people get angry doesn't mean they hate each other. You know my parents love each other very much, right?"

Chat nodded emphatically, the envy shining clear in his eyes, and despite her anger Ladybug's heart broke a little. To be so jealous of something she took for granted—two loving parents who paid attention to her—told her that his home life was far more bleak than she'd realized. Just how bad a father _was_ Gabriel Agreste?

(Not, she admitted to herself, that her own parents were quite as attentive as she had believed before becoming Ladybug; they never seemed to comment on any of her increasingly common disappearances when her heroic identity was needed. The only possible explanations she could see were that they weren't paying that much attention to her after all, or that they'd already figured out she was Ladybug and were deliberately turning a blind eye. _That_ was a disturbing thought now that it had occurred to her, but also a problem for another day.)

"Well, my parents argue too. Mostly about little things, but there are a few times they've had pretty big fights. But the love never goes away. Even if they're mad at each other for a while, they never stop loving each other."

Chat Noir was staring openly now, his eyes wide with disbelief. The concept of being mad at someone and still loving them clearly seemed alien to him.

"Your father really _is_ racking up your future therapy bills, isn't he," Ladybug muttered under her breath. Gently, she reached out to rest a hand on her partner's shoulder. "No, Chaton, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. You're still my partner. And my crush, apparently, which I'm going to need a little while to process."

She laughed abruptly, though it wasn't the laugh that Chat loved so much; the edge of this laugh was just a little too sharp, just a hint of her earlier panic beneath the surface.. "At least I'm angry enough to form complete sentences without getting all tongue-tied around you right now. Otherwise this conversation would be a lot longer and more confusing."

Chat clearly couldn't find it in himself to laugh in return, with or without sharp edges; his hangdog—hangcat?—expression made his thoughts obvious to her: Ladybug was still mad at him, and there was no humor to be found in that. But some of the tension in his shoulders loosened under her touch. "Do you think this can be fixed?"

"Of _course_ it can, you silly cat." Ladybug lifted her hand from his shoulder to flick him lightly on the cheek with her index finger. "Didn't you listen? Just because I'm angry at you right now—and trust me, I am _pretty angry_ —that doesn't mean I will ever stop loving you. And eventually I won't be angry. I don't know if we can go back to exactly how it was, not now that we know each other's identities. But even if things change, I promise you this isn't broken. _We_ aren't broken."

She shifted position, moving a little closer to Chat. Draping her arm across his shoulders, she gave him a half-hug. As she did, she could feel the tension bleed out of her partner like air from a deflating balloon.

"Is there any way I can fix it faster, my lady?"

"That's what apologies are for, mon minou. And not just an 'I'm sorry', but finding ways to prove you mean it."

Once again, silence fell. This time, however, it wasn't so awkward. It had more in common with the companionable silences they often shared as they sat in this spot together and looked out over the city they loved. The city they risked their lives for. It wasn't quite back to where it was before, not yet, but it was a start.

It felt more fragile than usual, though, and Ladybug was loathe to break it. Still, she had one important question still to address. "Chaton, I do have to ask... who else knows?"

"Hrm?" Chat's tone was distracted, his thoughts elsewhere. Mulling over possible dramatic gestures of apology, no doubt. "Oh, yeah. Chloé. I guess she saw your kwami once?"

Ladybug felt like she had just swallowed her tongue. All the tension that had bled from Chat Noir earlier had apparently just taken up residence inside her instead. She took a deep breath, counting to ten, and exhaled slowly. Surely that would be enough to calm herself down to approach this in a rational manner.

"You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me!" The words she blurted out were loud enough to startle pigeons perched below them into flight, scattering the birds into the sky around the tower. Even Chat jerked away, nearly falling from their perch before he regained his balance.

She sighed. Nope, not nearly calm enough.

#

Chloé Bourgeois stood on her balcony with a smile on her face, leaning against the railing as the sun sank low beneath the horizon and night fell once again. It was a good night.

So far, everything had been working out for the best. Chat Noir had clearly been absolutely thrilled to know who his lady-love was, and something had even happened between Adrien and Marinette at school. Something that had left the girl fleeing the school grounds in a very un-Ladybug-like panic, which could only mean an obstacle to her ridiculous crush on Adrien. Unfortunately, it had upset Adrien as well, but she was certain he'd get over it.

And if something else broke those two apart more quickly, she wasn't going to complain; it would make it easier for Chat Noir to win his lady over. After all, it would be better for everyone if Dupain-Cheng were with someone who understood the other side of her life. Someone else with a Miraculous. Why not Chat Noir?

Besides, Adrien and Marinette would have never worked out for _so_ many reasons. Starting with the fact that the poor girl's brain seemed to turn into pudding whenever she tried to form complete sentences around Adrien. It was honestly a total disgrace; Dupain-Cheng was many things, but a babbling idiot wasn't one of them. The two of them together? Ridiculous. _Utterly_ ridiculous. No, they clearly just weren't suited for each other at all.

Someday they'd both see that. Hopefully they'd even be grateful enough to realize how much she'd helped them! Not that she was doing it for the recognition, of course.

Lost in her thoughts, Chloé almost didn't hear the noise of the two superheroes landing behind her. But when she glanced over her shoulder to see Ladybug and Chat Noir standing there, her smile grew ten times brighter. Maybe they'd sorted it out and come to thank her already!

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! It's so good to see you! Maybe we can take a few pictures for my instagram?" She held up her phone, posing directly in front of the heroes.

Ladybug pinched the bridge of her nose as though staving off a headache, clearly trying her best to ignore the fact that Chat had already struck a pose for the selfie. "Chloé... I know you know. Chat told me."

"Oh, fine, Dupain-Cheng," Chloé huffed. "Take all the fun out of it."

Chat still held his pose, glancing between the other two expectantly as though trying to lighten the mood. When Chloé didn't lift her phone again, however, he relaxed into a much more natural posture.

Ladybug grimaced as though that headache were increasing in severity. "And please, _please_ never call me that when I'm transformed. If Hawkmoth ever learned who Chat or I are, he could attack our families. Our friends. Our classmates." A pause, as the spotted heroine seemed to tally something up mentally. After a moment, she amended, "Though for my classmates, I suppose that's 'attack them more than he already does'."

Chloé had to grant her that last one; pretty nearly everyone in their class had been akumatized by now, some repeatedly. Something was _clearly_ wrong at their school to make so many of her classmates to feel negative emotions so often. There had to be some common factor, something in their class that she wasn't seeing.

(That tiny voice in the back of her head spoke up once again, whispering words of doubt into her thoughts. _Some factor other than you, you mean?_ )

Ladybug was still talking, and Chloé suddenly realized that she'd been so distracted that she hadn't heard a word of it.

"...risk the whole fight against Hawkmoth. You understand, right?"

Chloé answered with an emphatic nod, enough to send her ponytail swinging. "Absolutely! Secret identity, blah blah, incredible danger, something something, still have to beat Hawkmoth." She made a dismissive wave with one hand, smiling at Ladybug. "No problem! And don't worry; if Hawkmoth finds out somehow, you can count on Queen Bee."

Ladybug started to say something in reply, then seemed to think better of it.

"We really appreciate it, Chloé," Chat Noir added. "It's really important no one else finds out."

Chloé made a soft scoffing noise. "Please, as if I would tell anyone. No one would believe me even if I did. Dupain-Cheng being Ladybug? Ridiculous, _utterly_ ridiculous. Even _I_ barely believe it. You had me fooled with your whole clumsy-and-uncool act; I would never have guessed you were hiding this!"

Ladybug really did appear to have a growing headache; she was massaging one of her temples now. Chloé wondered if the heroine was getting enough rest. Lack of sleep could cause headaches, after all, and keeping Paris safe probably involved a lot of late nights.

"My lady?" Chat Noir touched Ladybug's shoulder almost hesitantly.

Now that Chloé was paying closer attention, she noticed there _was_ something of an odd tension between the two heroes tonight. The easy camaraderie she'd seen in the past seemed a bit strained, and they stood just a little farther apart than usual. That was _not_ what she had hoped would happen. "Is everything alright, Ladybug?"

Ladybug scrubbed a hand across her eyes wearily. "There have been akuma attacks the last two nights _and_ one earlier today; I'm short on sleep and I've had a very weird, very long day. I really should go get home. And Chloé..."

The pause stretched out, the spotted heroine clearly struggling with the words. Chloe tried to be patient, but she found herself shifting back and forth from foot to foot as she waited for Ladybug to actually finish her sentence.

"Thank you."

Chloé's smile brightened; just like she'd expected, the heroes clearly appreciated her matchmaking efforts! Still, humility was an important part of being a good person, so she waved a hand in front of her as though she could brush away the gratitude. "Oh, no need to thank me!"

Ladybug shook her head. "No, seriously. Thank you for keeping this quiet; I know it's the sort of secret a lot of people would be tempted to share."

Chloé could feel her smile falter; that hadn't been _quite_ the thanks she had expected. But perhaps it just hadn't been quite long enough for everything to work out the way she hoped. It was unreasonable to expect a plan—even one this brilliant—to work out in a single day. She did her best to rally. "Well, you know how it is. We superheroes have to stick together!"

"Right..." Ladybug seemed about to say more, but then shook her head. "I really need to go." She hopped up onto the railing of the balcony, glancing back at the other two with a habitual "Bug out!" before leaping off the building. Chloé caught a glimpse of red flashing past the window of a building across the street as the heroine swung away.

She and Chat stood there, watching Ladybug swing away. Once she'd vanished into the distance, the two turned to look at each other as though trying to figure out if there was anything else still to say. Apparently neither did, because they ended up standing there in awkward silence for a good ten seconds before Chat finally cracked.

"I should go as well; sleep's important, and I need a little cat-nap." The hero offered her one of his habitual cheshire grins. This close, however, Chloé couldn't help but notice it looked a little more forced than those she'd seen from him before. But before she could ask anything, the leather-clad hero clambered up onto the railing and offered a little wave before leaping into a backflip and dropping out of sight.

Chloé leaned against the railing, looking out at the lights of Paris again as she lost herself in thought. Adrien and Marinette's dispute was promising, but something still wasn't quite right between Ladybug and Chat Noir. If things didn't clear up on their own soon, she might have to think of some way to get them closer together.

Still, the plan _would_ still work, she was certain of it. She just had to be patient.

After all, good deeds didn't happen overnight, did they?


End file.
